Top Doctors 2012

Physicians across Rhode Island name their picks for the state's best specialists.

Photography by Patrick O'Connor

It’s no secret the physician reimbursement rate in Rhode Island is amongst the lowest in the country. Despite the low payback compared to our neighbors to the north and south, our doctors stay; so in a survey sent to thousands of the state’s licensed physicians, we asked them why. Their answers? Family, first-rate patients, an invaluable support staff, a love for Rhode Island.

The doctors were also asked to name the specialist they’d choose if a family member or friend had a medical problem. We’ve compiled the names that appeared most frequently on our survey: 161 of the state’s finest doctors, as voted by their peers.

In addition to our venerable list of Top Docs, in this issue we also explore cases in which the weary seek, and gain, relief from our medical community.

“A State of Hope” takes a look at five patients faced with bleak diagnoses who were able to recover.

In “The Secret Disorder,” we draw Body Dysmorphic Disorder, a condition characterized by obsessions over minor or imagined flaws, out from the shadows.